Finding the best dog food for your furry friend is, of course, a chore, but the convenience, price, and variety of dry food options can make it a great option for your pup. In commercials, dry food nibbles hit the bowl and a good puppy comes along – every pet owner might want this kind of love story for their dog, and dry dog food also offers some unique benefits for dogs (and their owners). “Dry food has many benefits,” said Shelly Ferris, DVM, the regional director of Petco Veterinary Services. “There are several types. It doesn’t spoil easily. It keeps dogs’ teeth clean between visits to the vet and you can easily switch your pet to new food if necessary. “
IN THIS ARTICLE Dry dog food Shopping tips | Best dry dog food
“It is much easier for humans to clear out a bowl and dry food can be left out for longer,” says Kristin Neuhauser, DVM, from the Noah’s Ark Animal Clinic. “For dogs, the main benefit of commercially produced dry food is that they can get a complete and balanced diet.” Dry dog food essentially combines convenience and nutrition as much as possible. But which dry dog food should you get? We interviewed experts on the differences between the leading dry dog foods and how to choose the best dry dog food for your canine companion.
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How to buy dry dog food
As with anything else related to your pet, talking to your veterinarian is a good place to start – in this case, about your dog’s nutritional needs. Then look at the list of ingredients on a bag of dry dog food. “You can easily customize a dry food diet to suit your pup’s unique needs because it’s convenient and comes in a variety of flavors and formulas – from life stage and breed to weight management,” says Ferris.
Your dog may not be able to speak, but his body can also tell you a lot about whether or not you have chosen the right dry food. “Dogs should have stool of normal consistency that is shaped and relatively easy to digest,” says Neuhauser, who also points out that having a healthy coat and skin and weight maintenance – not gaining or losing too much – are signs of one are good health.
When buying dog food, the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), a nonprofit that helps set standards for pet food and pet food, recommends reading the label, a food based on your pet’s breed, age, and health to select. and follow the manufacturer’s feeding guidelines. When it comes to ingredients like preservatives, Ferris suggests that dog owners look for natural alternatives rather than synthetic ones. “Natural preservatives like vitamin C, Vitamin E. and oils from rosemary, clove or other spices are better alternatives to chemical preservatives like BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin, which are often added to dog food, ”says Ferris.
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Best dry dog food for shopping
To give you an overview of some of the leading dog foods that are widely available and highly rated, we have compiled them below.
1. Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Adult Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe Dry dog food
This Blue Buffalo dry food is a bit of the farmer’s market with peas, sweet potatoes, blueberries and cranberries mixed in with the first three ingredients: boned chicken, chicken meal and brown rice.
2. Castor & Pollux Organix organic chicken & oatmeal recipe
Organic free range chicken, the first ingredient in this dog food, is mixed with a blend of organic superfoods: flax seeds, blueberries, and coconut oil.
3. Eukanuba Small Breed Senior dry dog food
The small croquettes in this dry food from Eukanuba help prevent tartar build-up on your dog’s teeth. Chicken by-product meal is the first ingredient in food for small breed older dogs (over 7 years of age).
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4. Hill’s Bioactive Recipe Fit + Radiant
Designed for adult dogs of large and giant breeds (we’re talking about 110 pounds), the first ingredient in Hill’s Bioactive Recipe Fit + Radiant is a lean protein: chicken. This dry food also contains carrots to promote a healthy digestive system and coconut oil for a shinier coat.
5. Instinct Be Natural Real Beef & Barley Recipe
Beef is the first ingredient for the Instinct Be Natural Real Beef & Barley recipe, which is corn-free (it’s not grain-free, barley is the third ingredient), soy, and wheat. The pieces are also lightly coated in freeze-dried raw beef.
6. Nutro Ultra Large Breed Chicken dry dog food
With a little surf (salmon meal) and turf (chicken, chicken, lamb meal), this dry food also offers a new superfood mix with coconut, chia and kale.
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7. Nutro Wholesome Essentials Healthy Weight Lamb & Rice Recipe
The first ingredient in this Nutro option is lamb, a lean protein that is said to help your pup lose or maintain weight. It’s also free from corn, wheat, soy protein, and artificial colors and preservatives.
8. Purina Pro Plan Focus Adult Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon Rice Formula Dry dog food
Dogs can have sensitive stomachs too, and this option from Purina is said to help puppies with stomach problems. Salmon, barley and ground rice are the first three ingredients in dry dog food, which is free from artificial colors and flavors.
9. Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Moderate Calorie
Even dogs can struggle to be regular – and this Royal Canin dry food is designed to help. A mixture of rice, chicken fat, and beet pulp make this a lower-calorie option. Chicken by-product meal provides fiber, and fish oil helps with indigestion and keeps things moving.
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10. Whole hearted lamb and brown rice recipe with whole grain dry dog food
Lamb, lamb meal, and whole grain rice are the top ingredients in WholeHearted’s dry food. It also contains salmon oil to help keep your dog’s coat healthy.
11. VICTOR Hi-Pro Plus Formula dry dog food
This protein-rich dry food from VICTOR is made for meat eaters with beef meal, chicken fat, pork meal, chicken meal and menhaden fish meal as well as grain millet, the first six ingredients.
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CORRECTION (Jul 20, 2020, 11:55 am): In an earlier version of this article, the last name of the Regional Director of Petco Veterinary Services was misspelled. She is Shelly Ferris, not Farris.
